Acerola (Malpighia punicifolia L., synonymous with Malpighia glabra L., or Malpighia emarginate DC.) is a tree whose fruit is called Barbados cherry or Antilles cherry because it closely resembles the cherry.
A small tree (or shrub) with persistent foliage of the Malpighiaceae family, acerola grows spontaneously in tropical regions of South America, in particular in Peru and in the Amazon forests of Brazil and Venezuela. It is also present in the Antilles, where it is called wild cherry.
Acerola fruit contains 20 to 30 times more vitamin C than orange. This makes it one of the fruits richest in vitamin C (1000 mg to 2000 mg/100 g), after Terminalia ferdinandiana fruit (50 times richer than orange) and that of camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) (30 to 40 times richer than orange). It is also rich in vitamin B6, vitamin B1 and vitamin A, and in flavonoids and minerals (iron, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium).
The trend towards the “natural” is well established in the food products, nutraceuticals and cosmetics markets. Naturalness is one of the keys of the success of commercial launches of products appearing on the market in recent years, all the more so in a context where the consumer now clearly perceives the risks associated with ingestion of synthetic compounds and where the laws governing the scope of the use of food additives have become more strict, as witnessed, for example, by the proposed changes to permitted additives listed in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The “clean label” nature of consumer goods is a decisive element in the purchasing act, and formulating products free of any substance unfamiliar to housewives is a great challenge that the above-mentioned industries seek to overcome.
The design of so-called “natural” consumables suggests the employment of ingredients also described as “natural”. For this reason, substituting for vitamin C (generic term covering various forms, in particular ascorbic acid, isoascorbic acid or erythorbic acid, ascorbate and erythorbate salts) is a challenge that should be accepted considering the extent of its spectrum of applications. For example, replacing sodium erythorbate in cooked meats products such as injected products (cooked ham, etc.) or emulsion-type products (fine-textured sausages) with a natural ingredient that would play the same antioxidant function, if possible with fewer disadvantages, is a question raised by large number of manufacturers. There is a need, therefore, for a “natural” antioxidant to replace the various forms of vitamin C.